Love Is Found In Craft
It comes from the intimacy of your work, not the passion preceding it.
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” — Maya Angelou
Passion alone won’t bring fulfillment.
Working at your craft will.
Your livelihood is much like a romance. Passions are inflamed in the beginning. But Life soon intrudes and puts the lie to your newfound reality.
It isn’t as good as you thought it was. The blinding sun cuts through passion like a flaming sword. You now hear the whispers of warning from those closest to you. You now understand their looks of concern.
This isn’t all it was cracked up to be. Turns out you were high on passion. And it clouded your judgment. You fall from the peak of glory to rock bottom valley in an instant. The withdrawal that follows is painful and disconcerting.
What went wrong?
How could you have been so blind?
How could you have been such a fool?
You put passion ahead of craft when craft must come first.
Passion often blinds you to reality. Doing the work keeps you grounded. It develops skill and intimacy. It brings clarity. Instead of falling in love with a storybook tale concocted in your dreams, you fall in love with the real thing... slowly.
If you want to love what you do and make a living from it, then you must create things. You must deepen the skills necessary to do so. Only by walking the winding path of creation will you find that elusive love and the deep sense of fulfillment it brings.
Day after day... month after month... year after year.
Be prepared for a long journey, because it doesn’t come easy. Love is anything but easy. It is wonderfully difficult.
🤔 Food for Thought:
Are you high on passion and low on craft?
Are you ready to find love by putting in the work?
⚙️ One Small Step:
What are your interests? Pick one and start creating... every day. Give it time. Deepen skills. Form habits. Become intimate with your craft. Your craft will start speaking to you. Only then will you know the truth. You either love each other or you don’t.